Eyes without Sparkle *

Elaine Hanzak on BBC Breakfast

About Elaine

Elaine Hanzak is an inspirational speaker on overcoming loss. She uses her life experiences of puerperal psychosis (the most severe form of “postnatal depression”) and bereavement to demonstrate how it is possible to smile again after life has thrown us challenges!

Elaine advises and speaks to audiences who are looking for ways to improve their lives; to health professionals, mothers and family support groups plus at corporate events. Elaine delivers keynote presentations on overcoming loss, postnatal illness and mental health issues drawing from a raft of informative case studies, personal experiences and anecdotal information passed on to her via this website and her public speaking engagements.

“I heard Elaine speak at a recent event where I too was a speaker. She is incredible - genuine, honest, compelling and engaging. Elaine's story is straight from the heart. The audience was captivated as she moved through her journey of dealing with and finding support for women who suffer postnatal depression. In recent times, Elaine has also experienced the loss of her partner, and yet this amazingly resilient woman has taken the lessons that life has dealt, and turned them into positive, inspiring and uplifting opportunities for all of us. I encourage employers to bring Elaine in to their businesses, and not only listen to her story, but engage with its underlying call to action. I always say that in the 10 years after a woman has a child, only 4% ever get promoted. This is a multi-faceted issue, but what if one of those reasons was post natal depression? What if those women had support? What if they could find the strength to be as good as they could be again? If you care about your female talent, and the diversity of your future leaders, then Elaine's message is worth hearing and acting on. Depression does not come with a rash, spots or a neon-light advertisement. Therefore employers should focus on truly noticing the wellbeing of their women who are parents, and when things turn wobbly for her, not just to get her back to work, but also to get them back feeling good, well and mentally strong. I encourage, no, I challenge you to invite Elaine into your company to speak. Her words will help you to turn the stigma of mental health issues into an opportunity for employee wellbeing. I will certainly be recommending Elaine to my corporate clients!” June 15, 2011

"Elaine has inspired so many people and has been a guiding light for me and our board of trustees. Her expert knowledge of Postnatal Depression has been indispensable but so too has her motivation, determination and drive. Elaine has overcome many obstacles and set-backs which means she has real experience of living what she talks about...she truly is an inspirational speaker !” October 19, 2011.